Lammie
Em, four days old.
See this quilt? This quilt became Lammie, Em's blanket. I think of someone who's baby lost her own Lammie recently, at the hands of a careless relative.
Lammie is still with us, 17 years later. Em is 17 today; no one is more surprised than me at this event. She still sleeps with Lammie every night. On weekend mornings, she comes down with Lammie wrapped around her body, or her head. Lammie does not look as good as he (Yes, Lammie is a boy) did in this picture anymore, but Lammie is still all of a piece.
Lammie was made by a friend of my mother's. I know she had no idea that this quilted blanket would become so precious to my child.
Lammie has traveled all over the country with Em. A few times, when we thought we might have lost Lammie, she has had to sleep with a "substitute Lammie." But Lammie has always been located.
This picture was taken on her first Thanksgiving. The Mister and i were still in the fog of "Oh, shit, what is this thing we have done." The Mister went to the store on Thanksgiving morning and bought a turkey breast and some potatoes, and we fixed a meal and the three of us, all alone, ate our meal in wonderment. Em did not have any turkey, except maybe second hand.
It remains a favorite memory, this first Thanksgiving, and our baby, wrapped in this item that was to become a legend in our family.
41 comments:
like a knife through my embittered broken heart....this was exactly what i had hoped for, and now, sadly....it's been destroyed in one fell swoop.
oh, the mourning.
We all need, and have a lammie. My brother had his own sewn into a sleepy blanky until he was twenty.
This world isn't easy. Lammies can help, but a safe roof overhead. Priceless.
What a lovely memory of Thanksgiving. I envy the quiet peacefulness of it.
That is the sweetest thing I have ever seen
Sweet...precious... That is the sort of stuff that I hold on to - the things that make ME remember. Because truly - will my children appreciate their baby clothes for what they are? Maybe not, so I hold on tight to what makes ME swoon, in the hopes they think it is quaint, this weird, sentimental attachment.
On a side note, as a knitter, it truly is a special joy to see a child take hold as their "special object" something that you have knitted. My son did that with the blanket I knitted, but holy crap! I have better odds in Vegas (the Bellagio, my favorite) of my daughter feeling the same over the piece I am knitting for her.
what a sweet picture! such a precious time, before they become mobile and into everything, and before they learn how to say 'no'.
linus has long been my favorite peanuts character, and the thought of a security blanket to buffer life's injustices is so comforting. although I wanted my children to have their own such lovies, none of them do. tony has come the closest, but because of the sentimental attachment to his baby blanket, he uses it for his favorite animals, not himself.
my former father-in-law still has his lovie, although it's about the size of a placemat now. he sleeps with it under his pillow. he takes it on trips, and if they chance to forget it at home, he's miserable. I reckon that's the down side...
My daughters received "welcome to the world" blankets from their twin uncle. Both were manufactured by Land's End and both were IMMEDIATELY purchased again by a quick-thinking Mommy (because I know that babies puke). Both my girls LOVE their blankets,and I suspect will still have them when they're ready to move out. The youngest suggested to me the other day that, if her blanket ever gets too ratty, I might make her a pillow case - that's some forward thinking right there!
oh this brings sadness to my heart. my ex-hole's new wife took my littlest's favorite blankey from him, handed down to him from his brother, and threw it out, saying that it was dirty and was going to make him sick. i beleive she did this because i had made it. 3 years later, the boy still gets a bit watery when thinking about it.
god i hate that horrible bitch.
Happy birthday to Em. Our girls are so close in age. My middle daughter turns 17 in two weeks. She still has ber blankie too.
17. Girlwomanwomangirl.
Happy Birthday Em. May you always have Lammie.
My original blankie is hidden in the attic of a house that we rent out. Nobody in the family knows that there is anything up there nor do the tenants I'm sure. It's not an attic you can walk into, it only has a hatch but I stored a a few memories up there. I was afraid that someday the stuff might get thrown out when I wasn't looking so I put the stuff up there when I lived there.
What an awesome holiday memory filled with shock and awwwwwwww. :)
jen, i know hon, i know. I'm sorry.
anon, that's cute about your brother. Lammie is a bit of a portable safe roof for Em.
ms.chica, In thinking about the cluster fuck that will be tomorrow, i envy that time too.
flutter, 4 days old. We knew nothing about what we were doing.
cagey, but we keep on making those things, in the hopes that they will become loved.
holly, what a great story about your former FIL. Even Em can survive nicely with Lammie, just better with it.
mrs. chili, you are BRILLIANT. As is your daughter with the pillow case idea.
franki, Dirty? That's what washing machines are for. What pain she inflicted on your youngest, just to get back at you. I do not like this woman.
deb, wow, they are really close in age. Happy Birthday to her!
crazymumma, i know. She's all that. She'll have Lammie for as long as she wants, barring some disaster.
Happy Birthday, Em. Seventeen. Wish I could see her. (pause to go back to the 15th. All set.)
Long live Lammie.
What a sweet memory and a wonderful photo! I love the scene of the three of you eating your meal together, your first Thanksgiving as a family.
How precious! I've been using flannel blankets with Tree Faerie when I put her down for a nap or to sleep at night, and they do the same at daycare. We switch out blankets, though, so hopefully she won't get attached to just one.
And Frankie, hon, I'm surprised the b*tch isn't dead. I might have just lost my grip on reality only to awaken to no-more-b*tch. I'm with Meno - I do not like this woman, either.
That is a wonderful photo and it is neat that she still has and loves the blanket. Even boys like them and my two are both in their 30s now. A very special one for me is the prayer quilt made by our church for Annie and given to her just two months before her death.
and also, a little known fact Lammie was also the inspiration for Lloyd Williams' hit Shama Lama Ding Dong.
probably.
I had a Ki-Ki that got dragged everywhere until I gave him up alongwith thumbsucking. Kinda wish they'd kept "him"!
So fresh from God! I love the picture and the memory.
wng, Happy Thanksgiving right back at you.
ttq, Just like when in Harold and Maude, she throws his gift into the lake saying, "Now i'll always know where it is." You'll always know where your blanket is.
maggie, pretty funny you are.
de, maybe someday i'll post a picture, but not without her permisiion.
qt, it is still quite clear in my memory. We were trying maintain some semblance of normalcy, but we were in shock.
andrea, that's a good idea to switch them out. We tried that, but Em had other ideas.
dick, Awww, you have a blanket too. How sweet.
furiousball, ha ha ha. I love that.
moi, aww, your ki-ki sounds cute. I had a friend who's blanket was named bonking.
luckyzmom, i know, so tiny.
That's a really sweet story. I can't imagine a better thanksgiving than your first one with Em. And thanks for the link to the other blog too - good reading. I've bookmarked.
happy birthday to Em!
I love the picture. My Nine had a blankie that he still has in his dresser in his room. We actually had to buy two exact copies because of the terror that would pop up if blankie was not to be found.
Five never cared much about any particular thing...he changes from day to day on what's his favorite.
I went over to your link and that story was sad. I would be angry also that something so precious was so lightly discarded, even if by accident.
Have a wonderful thanksgiving tomorrow. I'm thankful I've met you, did you know that!?! (even if it's just online).
Weren't those times wonderful in their simplicity? I remember our first wedding anniversary, sitting at our table with me holding our nine month old darling on my lap. We had no money to go out, much less get a sitter. But nothing could have been more perfect anyway, celebrating our life together, and our new addition.
I too had a lammie...it was yellow with a yellow satin border. I can still remember the day my mom insisted on throwing it away after I bled on it while losing a tooth. I was crushed and, through my life, there have been times when lammie would have come in very handy. Sigh...
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow.
She looked like a doll...an angelic doll. What a wonderful memory you shared. Happy 17th birthday to Em!
Happy Birthday to Em and Lammie!
I carried my *Woo* to college with me, a bear with stuffing only in one leg and ratty all over, but incredibly dear to me. He didn't survive the whole 4 years, basically disintegrating, but how I love to remember his loyalty!
Pretty pictures and memories.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy birthday, Em!
happy birthday Em! Happy Thanksgiving Meno. What a great post.
Many happy returns, Em! And a big Turkey Hug to everyone under that safe roof. *hug*
Awww. Happy Thanksgiving.
fiwa, jen is pretty cool, and pretty hot when she's passionate.
sari, i'm thankful to hve met you too. And Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.
irish goddess, yes, things were simpler then. Today we are going somewhere where there will be 18 people for dinner. Ugh.
joan, no, no, no! She threw your lammie out? Because of a little blood? Oh the cruelty.
lynn, there are still a few times when she is a doll too. :)
ac, awww. Woo. How cute. That is loyal.
nancy, thank you. I'll pass on your wishes.
urban-urchin, thank you and happy Thanksgiving to you to.
irrelephant, Hugs back to you and your family.
suebob, pretty cute huh? Happy Thanksgiving back to you and Goldy.
my kids have their kid sized pillow to go with their blankies, matching colors of course. They still have them. When the pillow stuffing started coming out I offered to replace them. They said no, please just sew it up. They still travel with them, sleep with them, love them.
What a darling baby!
I still have my youngest daughter's once exquisite baby quilt, faded because my mother once threw it into the washer with Clorox.
When my older two were in preschool, all the blankies were hung on a clothesline until recess, at which point every single child would RACE outside and grab his or her blankie, insert thumb in mouth, and exhale as one.
It was the most incredible choreography I've ever seen.
Your little girl is delicious.
Happy Thanksgiving!
At the risk of repeating what so many have already said, what a wonderful story.
Cheers!
(that picture makes me want to whisper)
That was extremely helpful in quelling my urges for more children.
When I was little, I didn't have just one blanket. I had multitudes. As long as they had a silky edge, I was happy. Then I would rub the edge off and it was time for another. It would have been awesome to have something handmade that I could have held on to.
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